CSO Crowd on Its Feet for Perlman

(first published in The Cincinnati Post July 27, 1992)

Thunderstorms darkened the sky at Saturday night's Cincinnati Symphony concert at Riverbend, but they could not dim the crowd's enthusiasm for violinist Itzhak Perlman.

In fact, many in the pavilion were unaware of a downpour minutes into the concert - and lawn patrons were able to dash under the roof.

In the Brahms Concerto, Perlman demonstrated again his awesome mastery: enormous power put at the service of art. The variety of attack he achieves with his bow and the ease with which he negotiates the fingerboard create a richness of expression unexcelled among today's violinists. Simply put, the violin sings in his hands.

The concerto's opening movement pulsed with feeling, the cadenza igniting a volley of virtuoso flourishes. The Andante was idyllic; the finale, a rush of adrenalin. The 5,028 listeners responded with a heartfelt ovation.

Music director Jesús López-Cobos led a rewarding performance of Dvorak's Fourth Symphony - only the second in the CSO's 97-year history. Full of Bohemian expression, it also illustrates Dvorak's admiration for Wagner: an allusion to "Tannhauser" in the Andante, a flirtation with "Die Meistersinger" in the Scherzo.

The concert opened with Rossini's Overture to "William Tell," giving the cellos, particularly principal Eric Kim, a chance to shine.

CINCINNATI SYMPHONY. Saturday, Riverbend. Jesús López-Cobos, conductor. Itzhak Perlman, violin. Byong-Kon Kim, "Seoul Fanfare '88," conducted by Keith Lockhart. Rossini, "William Tell" Overture. Brahms, Violin Concerto. Dvorak, Symphony No. 4.